Late Light

Here's another still life. You have probably guessed by now that cherries and oranges are my favorite fruits to paint. :-)

Late Light, Oil, 11 x 14"

Cherry Spill

This one may seem like "déjà vu"... it's a close up version of the painting "Standing Tall". I went for a stronger contrast between light and shadow... I like this one better.

Cherry Spill, Oil, 6 x 6"

Standing Tall

Another still life... and this looks a bit brighter than the real thing. These two "pots" were quite a challenge, but I'm happy with this first trial.

Standing Tall, Oil, 12 x 9"

A Cherry on Top

Here's a little still life. It's been a while since I painted cherries and glass... it was fun.

A Cherry on Top, Oil, 6 x 6"

Les P'tits Amis: Cougar et Petit Phoque

Here are two Beanie Babies that are precious to my husband and me. We have had them since graduate school at University of Ottawa where we met. Initially "Petit phoque" (right) was Ken's and Cougar (left) was mine. Now there are inseparable and they bring us back a lot of great memories. So I decided to surprise my husband for his birthday with a painting of them. He loved it!

Les P'tits Amis, Oil, 6 x 6"

Coming show at the Putnam Art Council, Mahopac, NY

My painting "Growing Apart" will be in the Putnam Art Center Annual Member Show. This is another "large" painting that I did last year and never posted. I started it in a class from a life set up but finished it in the studio from a reference picture. I like the folds and the light on the fabric...

Show: March 2nd - 21st, 2014
Reception: Sunday, March 2nd, 3 - 5 p.m.
At: Belle Levine Art Center, 521 Kennicut Hill Rd, Mahopac, NY‎

Growing Apart, Oil, 20 x 16"

Current Show and Award

I'm very happy to tell you that I recently received an Honorable Mention with "Orange and Gold" at the "2013 Annual Juried Fine Art Exhibit - Putnam Arts Council". The best thing about it is that the show originally only had prizes for Best of Show, 1st Place and 2nd Place. But the juror liked my painting enough that she added the Honorable Mention prize. What about that? And it's my first oil painting award !

"Bright and Shiny" was also selected for the show.

The show will run until October 25th. I know, it is too far away for most of you, but if you can make it, the address is 521 Kennicut Hill Rd, Mahopac, NY.

"Orange and Gold", Oil, 9x12"
Honorable Mention

"Bright and Shiny", Oil, 8x10"

still life, oil, 16 x 20"

I recently enrolled in an oil class at the (local) Putnam Art Center. Although I appreciate time alone to paint in my studio, this allows me to learn (faster) and get feedback. It also allows me to meet (local) people with similar interests.

Here's a still life I did the first week. I decided to go for a still life. It's my largest oil painting so far. I had to get used to mixing a lot more paint...  and I could have used a larger brush. I tried to simplify and have fun with it...

Untitled, Oil, 16 x 20"

In the Spotlight, Oil, 6 x 6"

"In the Spotlight", Oil on canvas panel, 6 x6 "

I just couldn't resist painting the blue bottle, again. :) I was able to keep the flowers simple and I like the overall feel of this one.

Thanks to Virginia for the title!

Primary Colors, Pastel, 10 x 8"

Here's a pastel attempt at a still life with the blue bottle and some flowers.

I always have a hard finding titles. Any suggestions?
Thanks to Niall O Neill a FB "fan" for the title.

Primary Colors, pastel on primed board, 10 x 8"

Orange Daisy in a Blue Bottle, Oil, 6 x 6"

I like this one too. I think I conveyed better/stronger light on this one than in the previous two paintings (1 and 2).

Orange Daisy in a Blue Bottle, Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 6"

White Flower in Blue Bottle, Oil, 6 x 6"

I like this one too!

I have a harder time avoiding reflections when I take pictures of paintings with dark colors in them. Any suggestions?

White Flower in Blue Bottle, Oil canvas panel, 6 x 6"

Empty Bottle and Oranges, Oil, 6 x 6"

I'm very happy with this one! I like the bottle and its reflections, but I also like that the bottle edges disappear in the background at some places (lost and found edges).

Empty Bottle and Oranges, Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 6"

And the Winner is...

I'm very happy to tell you that "Three Orange Wedges and a Bowl" won the 1st Place Still Life yesterday at the Austin Pastel Society 2011 Juried Member Exhibition!!!

My winning painting and me!

You can see the other award paintings in the show:

Old Pot and Oranges

Last week I went to a 5-day (open-studio) workshop with Dalhart Windberg at the Windberg Art Center, Georgetown, TX. The idea was to paint something of our choice and get critiques and personal instructions. This was a great opportunity to learn and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The school has such an impressive collection of objects for still life that I decided to start with that. I got quite a bit of help on finishing this (as part of the learning process :)

 

Old Pot and Oranges, Oil on canvas board, 14 x 11"

Tomato and Cup

Here's another still life practice... I like the saturated red color of the tomato on a neutral background.

Tomato and Cup, Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 6"

Oil study #184

Here's another attempt at this little pot with three cherries. I like it better than the previous one (#183).

Uh oh, I just noticed that I forgot to paint the reflected light (from the table) on the front cherry... zut alors :)

Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 6"

Oil study #165: Yellow Flower in a Blue Jar

Although I was excited about painting my new blue bottle, it didn't make it easier to paint :)
I'm happy with this first attempt and also with the flowers that I almost gave up on. I like the lost and found edge with the background.

Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 8"

Oil study #163: Sundries

The lemon seems to glow in this one.

One thing I wish I had seen earlier is the diagonal of the shadow on the background, the pestle and the flower stem. They lined up too much. But my house critic (husband Ken) did not notice, so I left it that way :)

Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 6"

Oil study #161: Three on a Vine

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but I like it now. I couldn't mix a good color for the light side of the tomatoes, so I ended up painting the shadow side darker :)

Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 6"